Who We Were, and Who We Are
by TacoReaper
Summary: A drabble about reincarnation. No real plot, just reflections by the characters. Please read and review!
1. Chapter 1

_This idea just popped into my head.__** Please Read & Review! And don't flame!**_

_I don't own Bleach; it belongs to Lord Kubo._

Chapter 1: Bloodlust

The first thing that popped into his head was "_This isn't hell"._

The second thing that came across his mind was _"Who am I?"_

It was odd starting out in a younger body than the one he had previously. He could barely recall the events of his life, when he transformed from boy into man, and then into something more. There was little else he could remember. Somehow his skill in battle didn't surprise him, nor was the ease he felt when he looked upon the corpses of the ones he killed. It irked him.

And still he did not possess a name.

When he first met her, he felt comforted in the camaraderie she provided. Over their brief time together, he grew to admire her for the strength she possessed and what she provided for him.

He felt a heavy, foreign sadness when she died.

He lost himself after that, reverting back to a simple killing machine…

And then an infant crawled up to him, unafraid of the blood.

He took her in, and named her Yachiru after his late companion; and gave himself the warrior's name, Kenpachi.

They traveled to a new army with the duty of protecting souls. This was a new concept for him. And they met new people, like short-tempered bald men, pretty-haired narcissists. For some reason, it made him think of two blonde-haired blue-eyed women. One of them had a large bust and a friendly face, the other with a noble air that commanded respect and loyalty.

Recently, the newest person in question was a ridiculously strong strawberry.

This taught Zaraki Kenpachi a new goal. He would strive to become a stronger fighter. No, the strongest fighter. He had done it before in life, and he'd continue the tradition in death.

They wouldn't expect anything else from Alucard the No-Life King.


	2. Chapter 2

_I don't own Bleach; it belongs to Lord Kubo._

_**Please Read & Review! And don't flame!**_

Chapter 2: Familiarity

When she awakened as a toddler, she felt very confused.

Wandering on all fours, she looked around her at the bloody town she found herself in. Murders and suicide were extremely common here. This wasn't exactly what she had thought of for the afterlife.

For some reason, the blood didn't bother her. She knew somehow that any child would be very uncomfortable with these spectacles. It was a bit of a puzzle. Crawling through the blood-stained grounds, she looked for some food, all the while unaware of what she really was.

The figure of a large dark swordsman didn't frighten her. She simply reached out for his sword and giggled at the irony of the gesture.

He took her in and gave her a name. She connected with him so thoroughly that Ken-chan was practically synonymous with 'Father'. Going through the motions, she found a better life as his ward, and eventually as a shinigami.

Baldy and Yun-Yun joined their band of misfits, and she found friendship and fun with the fellow females of the Seireitei.

Sometimes she would have rather strange dreams. These dreams included personalities fusing, and other such magical things: succubae, witches, vampires, and ice women.

She felt rather at ease with the thoughts of youkai, and how familiar she was with the word 'vampire'. She wondered about how familiar vampires were to her, and how it explained so much about who she was.

She also dreamed about him. His kind brown eyes and dark hair, surrounded with an aura of kindness and hidden strength. Her longing for those eyes grew with each dream.

Until the day she could look upon her friends once more in this life or the next, she was content to stay by Ken-chan's side and play with all of her new friends, with Icchi, Baldy, and everybody else. Those bonds meant more to Kusajishi Yachiru than anything in this world.

That was something that Akashiya Moka would always carry with her; both in life, and in death.


	3. Chapter 3

_I don't own Bleach; it belongs to Lord Kubo._

_**Please Read & Review! And don't flame!**_

Chapter 3: Blind

He never once imagined he would end up in such a…mundane…place after death.

Unfortunately, it seemed his blindness had followed him into the afterlife. It was vastly irritating for him to end up in a completely new environment where he didn't know what anything felt like. He simply ended up wandering around Rukongai feeling for spiritual energy to guide him.

Then he met her. She helped fill the loneliness he was afflicted with and conversed with him on many ideals, most prominent of them being ideas of justice.

She left him to be a shinigami, to guide the souls of the dead. He vaguely recalled having a position where he tormented souls previously, but he simply wished her well. And then she was murdered by the man she loved, with no justice or retribution to punish the despicable man responsible.

He decided he hated shinigami; which was why Aizen was a godsend for him.

As the years progressed, he committed various crimes in the name of justice. On few rare occasions he felt guilt for deceiving Komamura, but he squashed it like he usually did.

When the time came for him to fight his wolfish friend, he had given in to his base instincts and battle-lust that he hadn't felt since ages ago back in the days of his partnership with the thieving fox demon.

Perhaps this was why he abhorred Zaraki and Grimmjow so much. They reflected his inner nature.

The ensuing battle gave his eyesight back that he'd lost so long ago. It was ironic that his new senses would bring about his downfall. Then again, his blindness had, once upon a time, caused him to elevate to lordship.

Lying on the ground surrounded by his former fukutaichou and friend, he realized that his weakness for power had once again humbled him to an incredible degree. Tousen Kaname reached for the face of Hisagi Shuuhei to use his new sight one last time…

And once again, Yomi, one of the three Makai Lords, surrendered himself to the darkness.


	4. Chapter 4

_I don't own Bleach; it belongs to Lord Kubo._

_**Please Read & Review! And don't flame!**_

Chapter 4: Different

When he beheld his new form in the Rukongai, he howled.

Why did this happen again? He had been stuck in one giant form for years and managed to get his body back, only for him to die and wake up a wolf-man.

Would this always happen to him no matter what life?

People ran away at the sight of him. They shunned and scorned him. Eventually he retreated into himself, hiding away from the rest of the world.

And then Tousen came along. He came as someone who wouldn't judge him and embrace his friendship. For that he was forever grateful. The same went for Yamamoto-sama's acceptance as well. To be honest, he was somewhat reminded of his old colonel in the soutaichou's skills and the respect he commanded.

Thinking of that always reminded him of how he couldn't walk with his brother anymore.

He took great care of the cats and dogs that came his way. Now that his life was stable, he could finally take in and care for the animals he adored.

However, it tore at his heart to look at his blind friend and not find a way to comfort the turmoil in his heart. Despite this, he was genuinely shocked when he fled beside the monstrous traitor Aizen.

It was one of the worst days of his life.

The worst was waking up a wolf-man and not seeing his brother in all these decades.

Then there was the battle of Fake Karakura. It was painful watching Tousen descend further and further into the abyss. For one moment in the silence that came after their fight, he hoped that their friendship could be rekindled again.

It didn't.

Now he stood amongst his comrades recovering from the war. Komamura Sajin looked upon the men he fought with and cared for all these years. Whatever tragedy came to pass, he would always be there for them and not fail them again.

Not even war or death could ever rob Alphonse Elric of his kindness.


	5. Chapter 5

_I don't own Bleach; it belongs to Lord Kubo._

_**Please Read & Review! And don't flame!**_

Chapter 5: Loyalty

Sasakibe Choujirou had always been a very consistent man.

Becoming a Shinigami was the best decision possible considering all the experience he had serving in the military. He had always found himself to be more of a follower than a leader regardless of what station he held.

When he had met Yamamoto-soutaichou, he was surprised with how easily they got along.

If only Yamamoto-sama had been less paranoid about trying Western culture out for once, then they could have tea without arguing for once.

Now he had found someone new to look up to, to follow and obey.

When he achieved Bankai, he could scarcely believe that he had been capable of attaining such power. It opened several new possibilities for him to consider; promotion, respect…

But Yamamoto-sama came first.

As long as he was soutaichou, he swore to serve him with all of his might as his fukutaichou, whatever came their way.

Centuries passed and he continued his loyal service. The recent shock of Aizen's betrayal had cut very deeply against his pride. Not only for the spite Aizen had for the soutaichou, but for his complete lack of loyalty he possessed towards anything other than power-lust.

After the final battle against Aizen, he felt relieved at Yamamoto's continued power despite the loss of his arm.

It wouldn't last.

He stepped in to stop the slaughter of his comrades by the new Quincy, but it was all for naught as he was perforated and thrown into the soutaichou's room as an example. It was hard listening to these Vandenreich taunt them while he was powerless.

With his final moments upon him, he summoned up the last remainder of his power to warn his lord of the enemy's power.

Jeremiah Gottwald then died once more content knowing he had carried out his loyalty all the way to the end.


	6. Chapter 6

_I don't own Bleach; it belongs to Lord Kubo. This one is silly, but I couldn't resist._

_**Please Read & Review! And don't flame!**_

Chapter 6: Ice

He was very displeased to wake up and find that his height had remained unchanged even after death. It even outweighed the confusion he felt from waking up in somewhere other than hell.

His hair was white. That was rather puzzling as well.

When Hitsugaya-baa-san and Momo took him in, he admittedly felt…very pleased.

He had never felt the caring guidance of a mother figure before. Nor had he felt the closeness of a brother-sister bond that he had stayed away from in his previous life.

His new-found dwelling was rather peaceful and not as chaotic as he was used to.

The stares and fear emanating from every other child, however, he was used to.

Momo's attendance at Shino Academy left him alone with Grandma, though he hid his feelings about it like he always did.

Afterwards, he reflected that women with generous figures should be labeled as hazardous.

When he discovered what exactly resided in his soul, he was surprisingly calm about the revelation.

The dragon was a no-brainer.

The ice was obviously his mother's blood influencing his afterlife abilities.

It came as no surprise to him how easy some of the shinigami disciplines were to him, nor how quickly he rose in rank. The surprise was how much of a pain it was.

When the Winter War was in the making, he found that he had never wanted to kill anyone more than he did Aizen. For the suffering caused to his treasured people.

It was amazing how much death had rearranged his priorities.

After the war ended, he felt a deep sense of self-loathing take hold, along with a furious desire for more power as well. He wouldn't allow himself to make a mistake like that again.

Now Kurosaki Ichigo was back in power, though the worst was coming with the march of the Vandenreich.

Hitsugaya Toushirou would cut them down whatever they might bring.

After all, it was second nature to a warrior like Jaganshi Hiei.


	7. Chapter 7

_I don't own Bleach; it belongs to Lord Kubo. This is another silly one._

_**Please Read & Review! And don't flame!**_

Chapter 7: Plan

It seemed he was doomed to make the same mistakes even in the afterlife.

As Ichimaru Gin, he once again started out on a quest of vengeance for the sake of his precious person.

He ignored the desire for the peaceful life and kept moving forward with his long-reaching goals, hiding his true intentions and putting everyone off-balance.

As the decades passed onward, he continued with his natural talent of lying to keep everyone on their toes, all the while watching as Aizen's depraved machinations continued to escalate throughout their century-long partnership.

Just waiting and hiding for the right time to strike like the snake that everyone compared him to.

The Hougyouku was a bit of a surprise, but he figured it wouldn't stand a chance against his bankai's true power.

That Ichigo kid also seemed to complicate their plots even further. This brash kid who got so strong so quickly summoned a memory of another brash White Knight to his mind.

Aizen's plans with the Arrancars as cannon fodder didn't really bother him since it was all a part of the chess game and since most of them were psychotic assholes anyway.

The transformation Aizen took was creepy, but he still didn't deviate from his plan.

He should have.

Fate once again screwed him over and turned his plan into waste. He was once again bleeding to death from the strike of a sword.

And once more, regretfully, he was dying in front of the person he cared about most of all.

He couldn't do anything more than look on and put his hope into the orange-haired substitute who could slaughter Aizen in his place. This monster that wasn't a monster closed his eyes…

And Lelouch vi Britannia died again as a sacrifice for the world's continuation.


	8. Chapter 8

_I don't own Bleach; it belongs to Lord Kubo. This is ridiculous, but it made sense to me._

_**Please Read & Review! And don't flame!**_

Chapter 8: Flames

He had never been a very vain man, but Yamamoto Shigekuni was put-off by his…decidedly less attractive look in the afterlife.

Frankly, he was surprised he hadn't gotten a one-way ticket to hell, but being reborn with this new immense power and responsibility was sufficient enough.

He lasted for a very long time in his service; for over two millennia in fact. He kept his foremost dedication to the protection of his home and his laws no matter the cost, a principle he had abided by in life.

However, living as long as he did brought some pains such as outliving several other good and worthy Shinigami, some of them being Captains.

He had made good memories as well. There was Juushirou and Shunsui, who he regarded as sons. Then there's Retsu, who was frankly one of the kindest and scariest women he'd ever known.

This included Choujirou, his ever-loyal right-hand man…and his closest friend.

The ryoka invasion had made him very irritated, but Aizen's betrayal and century of atrocities had made his blood boil with anger at the traitor and shame for not realizing it sooner.

When the "Winter War" came to pass, he had paid for his oversight and stubbornness with his left arm. Afterwards, he refused to have it replaced, just to remind himself of his failure and resolve to never make such mistakes again.

After gifting Kurosaki Ichigo with new shinigami powers, against their law, his order had been disrupted by the Vandenreich's killing spree and declaration. As well as losing Choujirou to those monsters.

There was no more room for patience. These Quincies would cower and be slaughtered by his blade. He would finally exterminate the despicable Juhabach.

They would learn just how wrong it was to infuriate the former Uchiha Itachi.


	9. Chapter 9

_I don't own Bleach; it belongs to Lord Kubo. This one made sense._

_**Please Read & Review! And don't flame!**_

Chapter 9: Misfortune

Life had never been very easy for Yamada Hanatarou.

Granted, he had been very grateful towards Seinosuke-nii-san for taking him in and giving him a home. He was just uncomfortable with how unpleasant his older brother could be.

Going into the Gotei 13 hadn't enhanced his luck by much either. He had been singled out as a target for bullying almost instantly and often felt cut off from everyone else. When he was recommended for the 4th Division he whole-heartedly accepted.

He had had enough of fighting whilst living.

Life in the 4th Division wasn't too bad. He still was targeted for bullying a lot, even by his own division members. It was still rather tranquil for him to be amongst like-minded people who were mostly genial.

There was no trace of menacing stares from abusive fathers. No threats against the world for him to attack again and again. He finally had found some peace of mind.

Then Rukia came along; and with her, Kurosaki Ichigo.

It reignited a passion he thought he had left behind a long time ago. A desire to take up his weapon instead of his medical pack, which was why he started carrying his zanpakutou with him instead of leaving it in his room.

Granted, it hadn't done much for him when he was in Hueco Mundo and had been slashed by a mind-controlled Rukia, but it was the intent that counted.

The ending of the Winter War had been rather anticlimactic for those who weren't present for the final battles, though they all would count their blessings for that fact.

Now they were in the middle of a new war, and trying to repair the chaos that the Vandenreich had left.

Ikari Shinji just couldn't catch a break.

_**Note: This is my last chapter for this story since I am completely out of ideas as to how this should progress. You're all free to follow up on this story and make your own version, but I'm just pooped. Sorry about this, and I hope you enjoyed what I wrote!**_


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